Their Queen's Back - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Matthew felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He thought, "Lily is the best girl in the world—bar none."
"So I'll never let her down," he resolved.
"Alright, sis, everyone out now!"
With just a look from Lily, Lulu and the attending doctor took the hint and quietly left.
Lily's fair face blossomed into a radiant, flower-like smile, her eyes brimming with tender understanding.
"Matthew," Lily said softly, "I never expected anything in return. I've always lived with integrity—I didn't save you because it was you; I would have saved anyone. Saving a life is the greatest virtue, so you don't need to feel guilty. You've already been so good to me. These past few years have made me truly happy. Even if I don't make it past thirty... that's enough for me."
Matthew suddenly squeezed her hand tightly, his voice frantic as he cut her off.
"Lily," he said anxiously, "what nonsense are you talking about? You're just a bit frail, that's all. I'll go bring Sophia here right away for a blood transfusion. Just wait here."
Lily shook her head. "No need, Matthew. I just found out yesterday that Sophia has always been unwilling to donate blood to me."
"What! You've met Sophia? When was this?" Matthew exclaimed.
Matthew's first thought was, "Why would Sophia come to see Lily instead of me? What is she up to? Is she here to bully Lily?"
Could she really be here to bully Lily?
He turned to Lily anxiously and asked, "Did she bully you?"
At this question, Lily's eyes grew misty, her gaze shifty as she avoided meeting his eyes.
Seeing Lily's aggrieved yet hesitant expression, Matthew instantly understood everything. Clenching his fists, he spat through gritted teeth, "I knew Sophia was vile. I'll make her come and apologize to you right now."
With that, Matthew stormed out in a rage.
Lily's hand, in a half-hearted attempt to stop Matthew, froze mid-air. Only after his footsteps had completely faded did a triumphant smirk spread across her face. "Everything is going just as I planned," she thought smugly.
"Sophia, oh Sophia," Lily sneered inwardly, "no matter how high and mighty you act, in the end, you'll still have to come crawling and apologize to me. So what if you're a Hughes? You're still in the palm of my hand. Fight me? With what, you pathetic fool?"
Sophia changed into a tailored outfit, transforming herself into the very image of an elite professional woman.
Sophia had a pure, gentle beauty, like a little white flower—innocent and lovely—yet her almond-shaped eyes always held a sorrow that never seemed to fade.
The boss looked her over, thoroughly pleased. With this look, Sophia could easily outshine any company executive.
"Sophia, it's all on you now. Don't mess this up. If you can land this deal today, you'll be promoted to Director tomorrow," her boss said.
Hearing her boss's promise, Sophia felt a surge of determination. "I must secure this deal," she thought.
"I'll prove to everyone that I'm capable. I won't disgrace my sister," she told herself.
Sophia and her boss had just entered the hotel when they ran into Olivia, who was on her way out.
Olivia noticed that Sophia was nothing like the timid, mousy girl she used to be—her whole demeanor had completely changed.
Spotting the obese middle-aged man beside her, Olivia scoffed inwardly, "So she's latched onto her boss. No wonder she dares to disrespect the Quinns now—even has the nerve to talk back to my parents. What audacity!"
Sophia walked right past Olivia without even sparing her a glance, brushing by her as if she were air.
"Sophia! Stop right there!" Olivia barked.
Sophia didn't even slow down, but her boss stopped and greeted Olivia with an ingratiating smile.
"Ms. Quinn, is there something we can help you with?" he asked politely.
Time was running out, and they couldn't afford any delays.
Olivia shot the middle-aged man a look of utter disdain, her voice sharp as a knife. "I'm talking to Sophia—not you! Get lost. Sophia, how dare you ignore me? What, you think just because you've latched onto this guy, you're suddenly going places? You're nothing but a leech, always sticking to my brother no matter how many times we try to shake you off."
Sophia slowly clenched her fists. She used to put up with everything from the Quinns.
Even when they deliberately targeted her, picked fights, or stirred up trouble for no reason, she always swallowed her anger and endured it.
Because I loved Matthew, he was like a sudden ray of light in my dark world.
Ever since my sister left, no one cared about me, no one ever asked how I was doing.
After my proud wings were brutally broken, I had to admit just how sensitive and starved for affection I really was.
So when Matthew offered me even the smallest bit of his shallow affection, I was pathetically grateful—willing to be his stand-in, to suffer in silence, even to give my blood for the woman he truly loved. I never once complained.
Because of just a few words from him.
'Sophia, it's getting cold—why don't you wear more?'
'I don't like spicy food. Eating lighter is better for girls.'
'You look good in white—Lily likes white too.'
'Enough now, stop being difficult and go to bed. I'll take you out when I'm back from my trip.'
Even a simple "good morning" or "good night" from him could brighten my whole day.
She regarded Matthew as her sole anchor in life.
Like a girl lost in darkness who spots a faint glimmer of light through a crack in the wall, she gazed at it longingly, guarded it carefully, terrified it might vanish.
It wasn't until my sister returned that I suddenly realized—the light shining through that crack in the wall wasn't real at all. It was just an idealized illusion I'd created in my mind.
When the heavy manhole cover of darkness above me was finally lifted, my own sunshine poured down on me once more.
Only then did I truly understand what love and warmth meant—my one and only sun, my unique warmth, had finally come back to me.
Seeing Sophia remain silent for a while, Olivia assumed she was too scared to speak and sneered, "Sophia, I heard you want to break off your engagement with the Quinns. Ha! You've really mastered playing hard to get, haven't you? Too bad we Quinns don't fall for such cheap tricks."
Sophia turned around, her expression frosty as she fixed Olivia with an icy, unblinking stare.
"Have you said enough, Olivia? Do you really think the Quinns is some kind of rare treasure? You think I'd grovel to marry into your family? Let me tell you—even if your whole family came crawling to me on broken knees, I still wouldn't set foot in your house. You self-important hag, did you really think I was afraid of you? Puh-lease! You're not even worth my time. You're nothing but morally bankrupt trash."
Olivia's eyes widened in shock, unable to process what had just happened for a long moment.
"Did Sophia just insult me?"
"That bitch actually dared to talk back to me!"
"She's dead meat!"
But when Olivia turned to confront them, Sophia and the man had already vanished.
Olivia was seething with rage, her fists clenched tight.
"Sophia, you're dead meat!"
"Just you wait!"
"Boss, I'm sorry you had to witness that scene. But rest assured, if Olivia tries to cause trouble for me, I'll take full responsibility and won't drag the company into this."
The boss waved his hand. "If we sign this contract today, we'll have powerful backing. As the saying goes, it's easier to succeed with strong allies. So you know what to do, right?"
Sophia nodded firmly. "Don't worry! I'll make sure we secure this deal."
"Hello, we're from Morningstar Inc. Are you with Synergy?"
"Yes, please come in. Regarding the acquisition, our manager would like to meet your team—just the lady, please."
None of the subordinates dared to object as the boss pulled Sophia aside, whispering anxiously and drilling the instructions into her.
"Be extra careful—watch every word, don't make any mistakes, and absolutely don't say the wrong thing," he stressed.
"Whatever you do, don't offend anyone. If things get tricky, just say you need me to step in."
"Don't worry, Boss. I promise I won't let you down," Sophia said confidently.
With that, she squared her shoulders and strode confidently inside.
On the other side, Skye watched the scene on the monitor, listening to what the middle-aged man was saying to Sophia as her fingers flipped through the documents on her desk.
William, a former university professor who resigned due to certain circumstances and started his own small-to-medium-sized company, had a spotless record.
"Ms. Sky, should we invite Mr. Brown in? Miss Sophia is already speaking with our staff."
Skye inclined her head slightly.
Lauren immediately understood and went out. William Brown was pacing anxiously, clearly uneasy.
Suddenly, an elegant blonde with piercing blue eyes appeared before him and handed him her business card.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Brown. I'm Lauren, executive assistant to the CEO of Synergy. Our CEO would like to meet you—if you're available, please follow me."
William was beside himself with excitement—he couldn't even tell north from south!
For a moment, he thought he must be dreaming.
"Did I hear that right?" he wondered.
The CEO of Synergy Group actually wanted to meet him in person!
In the Capital City, he was just a nobody—a humble small business owner, a tiny fish in a vast ocean.
And now, was this heaven-sent fortune and luck really about to land on him?